Crystallized: Vigilante
by PrestigiousP
Summary: Kingdom City, a once peaceful metropolis, has taken a dark descent into crime. When one final push throws the city over the edge, and everyone is on their knees begging for mercy, all hope seems lost. Corruption is the core of the urban streets, but Crystal is willing to fight back. Ships include Mangaquest, Oldrival, and Haughty. Rated for violence, language, and sexual themes. AU
1. Chapter 1

**I'm kind of excited about this story but I don't know how well it will work. I'm still working out kinks and if this chapter does not meet up to my standards later then it probably will be taken down. If you like it, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**So at first this was largely inspired by the Hunger Games, but then I revised the whole thing after I recently started watching Heroes again, one of my absolute favorite shows. Now, like I said, I don't know if this is going to work out but I have high hopes for it.**

**This is a story about a city consumed by crime. Crystal is going to put a stop to it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Update:**

**Hey everyone I have recently decided to redo the current chapters so check back regularly for updates. I know this chapter is now way better than it was before so please reread and enjoy!**

* * *

The rain pattered softly on the top of the woman's umbrella. Her black high-heeled boots clicked on the sidewalk as she hurried with her head down. She had her brimmed hat tilted down slightly so her face wasn't visible from a distance. It was a bad part of the city, and she wasn't exactly wanted here anyway. Many shady characters watched her with interest. She was attractive, curves just hidden by her long grey button-up jacket, long brown hair flowing over her shoulders, black skirt with tights.

A crack of lightning lit the cold night sky as she turned the corner and picked up her pace down the street. She stopped in front of an old apartment building. She pressed the call button and heard a buzz and a click. She opened the door, closing her umbrella and removing her hat.

The inside of the apartment complex was bare. Little occupied the wood flooring save for an unlit fireplace and a series of mailboxes. There was one flight of stairs. The woman ascended it, turning down the hallway and stopping at room number ninety-four. She knocked on the door.

In a moment the door opened. An attractive man greeted her with a smile. He stepped aside and held the door open for her.

* * *

The two sat at his small dining table, talking and laughing with each other.

She removed her hat and set it on the table, revealing her piercing blue eyes alit with mischief. She had no doubt been up to something that night. The man could tell. He watched her, studied every inch of her expression. It was his job after all. He'd gotten so good at it too. People were like books to him.

"That's a nice necklace," he said to her. "Who'd you steal it from?"

She sighed with a fake grin and looked down at it. "Nothing gets past you does it, Green?"

"You never answered my question." He held his smirk.

"It's nothing major," she stated. "I pulled off some rich daddy's-girl I met at the bar. She wanted to come home with me, if you catch my drift."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're a doctor, Blue. You could afford ten of those necklaces."

She smirked. "I know, but paying for things is never any fun."

He smiled and looked down at his papers, glasses sliding down his bridge. Blue noticed how nicely dressed he was, as always. He wore a white dress shirt underneath a black button-up vest and grey dress pants. The only thing remotely unkempt about him was his hair, but it never was neat.

There was a long silence before Blue's tone turned serious.

"How's the project coming?" she asked.

He glanced up and gave her an exasperated work. "I don't know. I think I've hit a dead end." He sat back. "Some variable needs to be changed, something small. I just don't know what yet."

"Well keep working at it," she replied. "It's necessary that you get it developed as soon as possible. You know after you finish, we still have to run trials and manufacturing. If you don't get it done soon, we're going to run out of time."

He looked at her and sighed. "I know."

* * *

_(One year later)_

Crystal stared through the muzzle of the gun pointed in her face. She swallowed as a crowd gathered. The man threatened to shoot if anyone took another step closer. She silently prayed that no one moved another inch. She knew this man would do it. He had nothing to lose.

_Jesus Christ,_ she thought to herself. _Where the hell is security?_

She swallowed again before speaking. "Sir. Please, I-I can't—"

"Shut up!" he said, wiping the sweat off his face with his hand. "You rich assholes! I'm the one who needs a damn house!"

Crystal looked down to avoid watching his hand become shakier. One slip and _BAM!_ She'd be done for. She licked her lips nervously, feeling the sweat form on her own forehead.

"Sir," she started again, shakily. "Y-you don't have the right licenses, bu—"

"Shut up!" he said louder this time, spit flying onto Crystal's desk. He frowned at her.

"Sir, let me finish," she started again calmly. "But you can easily get them. It will take no less than a few hours."

Suddenly, black-coated security burst into the room. She took the moment to duck underneath her desk as the man was distracted with the sudden clamor behind him. After a small skirmish, they easily confiscated the gun and took him out by his arms. Crystal sighed with relief as she sat back up. Everyone had gone back to their respective positions.

She rapidly hit a pen on her desk as she rested her head in her hand. It wasn't the first time she'd been threatened, but it was the first time anyone had actually gone through with it. Housing authority wasn't even worth it anyway. It wasn't a fun job. She never dealt with anyone prominent. They were pretty much all poor lunatics who couldn't afford the clothes on their back let alone any form of shelter.

Kingdom City, the land of beaches, sunshine, and crazies.

It had once been such a nice place to live, a paradise. Located just off the ocean, it was cozy place with good, nice people. Sometime after the terrorist attack on the twin towers, it took a turn for the worse. People took a turn for the worse. They became distant, closed off. Crime was at an all time high. And it seemed like the police just gradually lost interest. The hopelessness of the situation was really quite sad. Kingdom wasn't on its way down the drain; it was already in the sewer.

She had lost her own parents to crime. It had already been five years a few weeks ago. Crystal was sixteen at the time. It was a few years after they adopted her little brother. He was thirteen. Now eighteen, he was proving to be a real pain to get to take life seriously. But honestly, in this city, who takes life seriously?

Crystal clocked out as she was flooded with memories of the way things used to be. Until that fateful day, she hadn't even noticed the city's descent into madness. It wasn't until the gang shooting on her block that killed her parents when she realized that Kingdom was taking a turn for the worse.

She walked to the parking garage and pulled out of her parking spot. Her baby blue 1993 Chrysler was chipped and rusted in some parts, but it got her to work and back home, and that was all she needed.

She pulled her car up along the sidewalk curb, feeding the parking meter her spare change. She walked up the steps of her apartment complex and pulled out the key, unlocking the front door and walking in. She checked the mailbox, it was empty. She suspected her brother had already gotten it.

She took the elevator up to the third level, walking to her door. She unlocked it and walked in, closing it behind her with an exasperated sigh. She slunk down to the ground and buried her face in her palms.

Her brother called her name a few times, and when there was no response, he walked out. Crystal looked at him through fanned fingers. A grimace was plastered on her face. He could tell it hadn't been a good day. He went over and sat by her.

"What happened?" he asked.

She told him. He wasn't really surprised. Nothing in this city ever surprised him anymore.

She glanced at him and suddenly noticed how much older he'd gotten. She remembered the day he came to them, with that ludicrous hair. It was now much shorter and styled in a flow. It was a lot nicer. He'd also beefed up quite a bit, despite being in front of the computer for most of his days on the earth. He was shorter than her pretty much up until he reached sixteen, which he never liked about himself. Now he stood at at least six-foot-one.

Ironically, he was more affected by their parents' death than Crystal was, and Crystal was their blood daughter. She understood though. His real dad died when he was about five and his mother took a slow descent into drugs. By the time he turned seven, he was taken from her custody. After that he bounced around from foster family to foster family until Crystal's parents decided to adopt him. He was the happiest he had been for a long time, and once they died, it was just like another family had been taken away.

Crystal still had nightmares about the day they died.

"Have you found a job yet?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He sighed and wiped his face with his hand. "Crys. I don't want a job." He got up and walked into the kitchen.

"I don't mean to be a nag, but you need one, Emerald. I can't support us both _and_ pay Nana's bills."

Nana, their grandmother, took custody of them after their parents died. She was old then, and once Emerald turned eighteen, she willingly admitted herself in a nursing home. Truthfully, she was scared of this city just as much as everyone else. A few years after the adoption, she slowly began to admit to Alzheimer's and now barely recognizes either of them. Usually she thinks Crystal and Emerald are her own children, Crystal's mother and uncle.

"You can work from home you know!" Crystal yelled to him. "There are plenty of jobs, like medical transcription, or jewelry making!"

Emerald's agenda everyday was sleep until one in the afternoon, wake up, tweak his electronics, go out and party at nine and not come home until three or four in the morning. She worried about him a lot, but he had picked up some street smarts over the years. He knew how to keep out of trouble.

On more than one occasion, she thought of taking her brother and moving, but she couldn't. Her parents' graves were there, and they had bought a plot for the whole family when she was little. Their father's parents were buried there, and their grandpa on their mom's side. She wanted to stay.

Besides, for some reason, Emerald liked the excitement. He wouldn't leave. He had friends and a life. Crystal could go alone; he was eighteen after all, but she didn't want to go without him. He was the only family she had left ever since their grandma succumbed to the disease.

Their parents both had siblings, but they all lived in different cities. After Kingdom's crime rate went up, they decided to leave the ties they had with their family and get out. They couldn't be swayed to stay in a place where they put their own lives at risk everyday just be being alive. Paradise was lost.

* * *

After Crystal and Emerald had talked about it for a few hours, they were still at a stalemate, so Crystal decided to give up for the time being and turned on the TV. She instantly flipped it to the news. The senator was on delivering a speech.

"Why do you watch the news? It's so boring," Emerald asked, taking a seat next to his sister on the old, worn sofa. "Why do you watch that bitch, especially? I'd rather stick needles in my ears than listen to her talk."

Senator Berlitz wasn't well-liked in the city. Before the election, she was popular, had a landslide victory in the state of Florida. In Kingdom City, the few that went to vote voted for her. She held promises of lowering crime and bringing out Kingdom's potential. Soon after the election it was revealed that she was involved with a gang, and that they helped her win the election. Of course there was no evidence, so she couldn't be charged with anything, but everyone still knew.

Crystal couldn't question her abilities though. Apparently she was a genius, skipped three out of four years of high school and then got a full-ride scholarship to Harvard Law. A handful of newspapers in the nation claimed her to be one of the smartest people in America. Lots of politicians wanted her to run for president. Crystal was sure she'd be elected in a heartbeat. She wondered how a woman like this could let corruption tarnish her image.

After she concluded the speech with a smile, the crowd exploded with questions. The senator wouldn't answer them though. She never did.

* * *

Blue looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was still naked, hair still wet, toothbrush running over her grimy teeth. Green's cramped bathroom hardly gave her the space she needed, but she fared. Besides, after the month was out, they'd both be living in a penthouse uptown. Birch promised them that.

Green had already left for work. He didn't have to work as much as last year, but his hours were still insane.

Blue spat in the sink.

_This place is such a bachelor pad,_ she thought as she examined the moldy corners of the bathroom. She was sure it wasn't a luxurious place in the beginning, but no doubt Green's busy schedule and masculine traits didn't allow time for cleaning the bathroom. Blue left, put clothes on, and then headed out the door.

It was a blisteringly hot day, not uncommon for Florida. The sky was an endless expanse of blue. The humidity made it hard to breath and the bright sun made it hard to see. Blue never liked the heat all that much. The highest temperature she could handle was about eighty-five. Kingdom City was not the place for her. Kingdom City was not the place for anyone anymore.

Blue was on her way back to the quick tram system that ran in the city. Kingdom was split into five districts, the Kanto district, Johto district, Hoenn district, Sinnoh district, and Unova district—essentially, North, South, East, West, and Central respectively. After Kingdom succumbed to corruption, the city council established a quick tram system for easier travel. The main station was located in the heart of the Unova district. It branched out into four different directions, connecting the other districts to it. It was truly one of the city's greatest ideas in a long time.

Downtown Kingdom was in Johto. Most of the crime happened there, but Blue happened to know that the Black Hands operated in Hoenn, to keep the cops off their guard. They said that district was significant to the leader in some way, but Blue couldn't remember. It wasn't like she really cared anyway.

Each district was classified in a different way. Like the same way Johto was downtown, Sinnoh was uptown, classy, with all the ritzy hotels and mansions. It was where distinguished people lived, where the senator stayed when she was in the city.

Hoenn was a mostly residential area, a few apartment complexes here and there, but none all that big. The few families left in the city lived there, but most of the houses were bought out by gang bangers who used them as meth labs. Police never had any good reason to investigate them though.

Kanto was the industrial part of the city. Its streets were riddled with warehouses and manufacturers. The sun was barely able to break through the thick smog from the factories there. Word on the street was that Kanto had some of the best places to hide bodies.

Finally Unova sat in the center. The only remarkable thing about the Unova district was the tram station. Unova also held the government building and one of the top police stations in the city (which wasn't all that great of a compliment). For this reason, crime was lowest there.

Blue made her way to the station. The quick tram had been a good idea on the city's part, but the stations were filthy. Management never came around the clean them and most of the city's homeless people lived there freely. They were sketchy places, but it was nothing Blue couldn't handle. There wasn't a lot Blue couldn't handle.

As she ascended the flight of stairs to the ticket office, two very big men appeared in front of her. They both were easily twice her size with small, fat necks and greasy hair. They reeked of booze and sweat. Blue nonchalantly turned around but there were two more men of the same caliber behind her. She gave them a polite smile.

"Gentlemen," she said as she tried to side step them. One grabbed her by the arm and shook her to face him.

"I don't think so lass," he said in a heavy Irish accent. He carried her to the nearest bathroom, followed closely by the other three men. He threw her on the tiled floor of the bathroom and they all gathered around her in a semicircle, their arms folded.

She laughed as she propped herself up on her hands. "When was the last time you guys showered?"

"Don't give us any lip," one of them said as they kicked her in the stomach. She groaned and then started gasping.

"Alright," she said between breaths. "Mind telling me what this is about?"

"You well know," guy number three said. "Birch gave you ten months and a great amount of money to do this job for him. It's been a year and he's still wasting on you. He's sent us to collect the product."

"Moron," Blue commented. "I'm not the one who's been working on it for the past year, Green is. If he wants it so bad go to the hospital."

The fourth man picked her up by the throat and slammed her against the wall, she gagged.

"We know where the drug is. But you see, we're merciful. We're willing to give you more time, but first we need some reimbursement, plus interest."

He dropped her and she started coughing. She glared at him. "That wasn't apart of the deal."

"Two extra months and two-hundred-thousand dollars more wasn't apart of the deal either. You see, the Black Hands are kind of low on funds because of you. Birch's being generous; you have a week to pay up all the money you owe him plus ten percent," the one who drug her into the bathroom said.

She laughed. "The Black Hands are low on funds? Really? Are pigs flying too?"

One of the men kicked her in the stomach again. "No lip."

She was gasping for air. "Listen, you guys are crazy if you think I can come up with that in time. But I'm sure Green and I can work out a deal with Birch if we can just talk to him."

The fourth man picked her up by her upper arms this time, violently holding her in one spot. "No. You're going to find a way to get the money, or else things aren't looking good for you and your boy."

Her mocking smirk faded, replacing itself with a menacing glare. "If you don't let me go now, things aren't going to look well for you either."

* * *

Her press conference's always had a big turn out, whether people liked her or not. She was charismatic, charming, had a way with words, and she had that million-dollar smile.

Senator Berlitz's closing words were always met with a barrage of questions from old and young reporters alike. She learned to ignore them when all anyone asked about was her affiliation with the Black Hands. But not answering made her look just as suspicious.

She gave the crowd one last smile as she turned around and went into a corridor that led to her office. There she was met with a handful of her staff, but the only one she wanted to talk to was her advisor. She walked ahead of the crowd with him at her side.

"How do you think that went?" she asked the blonde man.

"You did well," he replied, "but you can't keep evading the questions. Sooner or later you have to make a statement."

"Yeah well, the later the better," she said quietly.

"Senator! Senator!" a blonde woman yelled from behind her. A fake, cheesy smile only a fake, cheesy reporter could wear was plastered across her face. There was a pencil stuck just behind her ear, partially covered by an orange lace hat. "Hello," she said, sticking out her hand. "My name's Bianca, and I'm with the Kingdom City Gazette. I just have a few questions that I was hoping you would answer."

The crowd of Berlitz's employees fell silent as the senator looked at the woman for a long time. Bianca's smile slowly faded. Berlitz glowered at the blonde woman before piping, "No."

Berlitz started to turn around, but Bianca was persistent.

"Oh," She said with a light giggle, "but it'll just take a minute of your time."

The senator rolled her eyes and turned around to face her. With a small smirk, she said, "And that's one minute too much. You're questions aren't any better than the questions of the other ten thousand reporters in the state of Florida, and my time isn't worth even one of them. You see my biggest pet peeve is when joy-sucking life-ruining reporters like you try asking questions they don't have the capacity to even comprehend the answer to."

She took a few steps towards Bianca.

"Now, you must be new to this business, because I've never seen you around before, but let me just say this, when _I_ say I'm not commenting, then I mean _I'm_ not commenting. Are we clear?"

Bianca held her gaze confidently before replying, "Yes ma'am."

"Good," the senator said with another million-dollar grin before turning around and walking away. Her blonde advisor was trying to stifle his grin as he returned at his spot by her side.

Her crowd slowly began to disperse into their own offices, soon leaving the senator with only her lanky blonde advisor. They adjourned to her own office. She flipped on the lights, revealing a dark mahogany desk in front of a series of large windows.

"God I hate reporters," she said as she closed the shutters.

"They're only doing their job, Platinum. They wouldn't make money if they didn't try. Do you want their children to starve?" he asked, glancing at her with a smirk. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned up against the desk.

"It's not even that. Becoming a reporter is a very nice career choice, and one can make many friends if they so choose to be an honest, respectful reporter, but they're all like paparazzi around here. What's my business is my business, and I'm handling it."

He went up to her and brushed a stray piece of hair back. "It's only because you're involved with the Black Hands. Relax, she was new. It probably won't happen again."

She smiled as she looked in his eyes. He frowned.

"I wouldn't be expecting a very nice article on you in the gazette tomorrow morning though."

She just rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

As a detective, Yellow De Tokiwa Grove had seen her fair share of unexplainable things in the city, but this by far took the cake. This man was a hit-man one of the Black Hands' best. Yellow arrested him a few days prior, but now she sat in front of him in the very interrogation room he confessed all his murders in, his frightened shrieks piercing her eardrum. It was simply unexplainable.

Behind her stood Dr. Green Oak. She held a certain disdain for this man. He had cleared many prisoners for insanity, but most of them weren't insane in the detective's opinion.

This man was not insane, now, however, he clearly was.

He sat there in his straight jacket, tears flowing down his cheeks, blood dripping from his nostril as he rocked back and forth in his chair, muttering over and over again the word "ape". His eyes were lost. He was truly gone.

"Well," the doctor said, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on, "he's clearly insane. I'll talk to the judge and see if I can have him moved to the psychiatric hospital."

Green left the interrogation room. Yellow watched him go before turning her attention back to the ex-serial killer before her. Her eyes filled with disbelief. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew something was not right.

* * *

The door to the bathroom hit the hallway wall with such shock that anyone in the surrounding area was sure to have heard it. One of Birch's men hit the ground hard, his swollen eye and fat lip matching the ripped clothes and broken joints. The other three were brutally killed, some of their limbs torn completely from their bodies.

Blue calmly stepped out of the bathroom and placed her heel gently on the man's temple, keeping her head down. He shouted when she put a little force on it. She gripped the frame of the door for support.

"I'm going to leave you alive, so you can pass along a message," she said, pressing down harder. "If Birch wants his money, he can come to me himself. Until then, you stay away from Green and me. If I catch anyone of you so much as looking at us the wrong way then—" she broke off, pressing her heel onto the man's head harder so he was bleeding a little, "—well let's just say it won't be pretty. Are we clear?"

The man choked out a "yes" like a little mouse at the mercy of a bloodthirsty cat.

"Good," Blue said with a smile before walking away.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review!**

**-PrestigiousP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys!**

**This story is pretty challenging to me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

This city was good at throwing punches.

Even now, as Detective Grove stood facing the grisly scene before her, she was amazed. The sight was gruesome, disgusting, but Yellow couldn't look away, like some invisible force was determined to keep her eyes locked on the picture. Multiple times she fought to keep her lunch down.

The room was busy with cops, detectives, and possible witnesses. They were all either desensitized to the mauling, or they just averted their gazes.

Three men, all middle-aged and very muscular, lied dead on the ground before her. Each of them had various limbs torn completely from their bodies, and one was even ripped entirely in half. The black and white tiled walls were covered in red and it looked as if the whole room had been hit by a hurricane. Some of the sink pipes were torn out of place, some of the sinks weren't even attached to the walls anymore, most of the stalls had broken sides and doors handing by a single hinge, and even some of the toilets had shattered, leaving a pool of water to envelop the bodies.

_Oh Gold is gonna have a field day with this,_ she thought sarcastically as she dug out her cell. She punched in the man's number and held the phone up to her ear. After a few rings his voice rang out clear on the other line. He always sounded so determined.

"Gold. I think you should get down here. The press is going to be all over this. It's just a matter of time," Yellow said.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's happened again."

Gold muttered something inaudible after a short grunt of vexation. He knew well what she was talking about. It wasn't the first time a group of men had been ripped to shreds. It wasn't even the second or the third, and a case like this wasn't a case either of them could just put out of their minds.

* * *

The ribbons of light that showed through the blinds cast just enough sun to wake the senator. She squinted, letting her pupils adjust to it. Her brunette head was rested on top of her advisor's well defined chest, her arms wrapped around his toned waist. She listened to his heart beat for a few seconds.

Platinum sat up, holding the sheets just above her breasts as she sat there, looking at him. He was really quite beautiful in an innocent way. His fair hair and skin seemed to glimmer a little in the sunlight. The sheets halfway down his body revealed his tight, thin frame and unbelievably soft skin. She would never admit it, but he was all she ever thought about.

She gnawed at the side of her lip as she hopped out of bed, careful not to wake her slumbering partner. She made a quick dash to the bathroom, turning on the bath water and filling up the tub. She just wanted a few moments of solitude, and that was hard to get when she was such a prominent figure.

With a generous squirt of bubble bath, she tied her hair up in a bun as she stuck a leg in and slowly settled into it, leaning her head back against the tiled wall. The steam felt good on her pores and nostrils.

She let her mind wander, delving deep into what she fought so hard to forget about all the time. Her relationship with the Black Hands was killing her campaign. She would never be re-elected if she didn't do something about it, but they had her on lock and key. If she ever breathed a word about anything, they'd have her dead and gone so fast that it would look like she just vanished out of thin air.

Platinum regretted ever agreeing to that proposition.

She had been just a few points behind her democratic incumbent. The election was only a few short days away and she had to cover lost ground. The Black Hands offered her a way to win. Platinum knew it sounded risky and realized that they would be back asking for a returned favor, but she did it anyway out of desperation.

To this day, she had no idea how they did it.

All they asked for in return was little leniency, wiggle room, to go about their business free from the law. It wasn't much, and she knew that a real favor was due soon, but as long as it still hung in the air, she would be viewed as a criminal for as long as she was in office.

Platinum, eyes closed, began to grimace at thought of her actions. How did she let it get so bad?

She was a good senator. She was young, attractive, charismatic, charming, not to mention a genius. She kept to her word. But like so many prominent figures in the government before her, she fell into corruption, and with each passing second, she feared what the future had in store for her.

* * *

"Sorry miss," the elderly woman on the other side stated. "You've overdrawn."

Crystal let out a small whimper as her mouth dropped open. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The woman gave her a serious stare. "Do I look like I'm kidding? Next!"

Crystal stepped out of the line slowly, in shock. It was as if the past few days couldn't have gotten any worse. It was as if her brain itself was spinning round and round rapidly. She felt really dizzy, sick, like she was about to pass out.

There was no way she could provide for her or her brother. She failed. She failed him, she failed Nana, she failed her parents; she failed herself.

The busy, brightly-lit room around her started to fade. She felt herself succumbing to gravity as the world blanched out before her. Soon, she heard a chorus of concerned shouts undoubtedly directed at her.

That was all she remembered before she blacked out.

* * *

Bianca sat in her office with a sly smirk, happy with the information she had obtained.

Bianca wasn't a regular reporter. She could put on a fake, dumb-blonde façade in order to actually get what she wanted. She wasn't the flighty, bubbly girl that everyone thought. She was a fighter, a revolutionary, in her eyes. After all the years of turmoil, the city deserved to know what was actually going on around them, and she had this juicy bit of information on the senator.

And the best part, the paper was already being published.

* * *

Here Green was again, in court. It seemed like the Black Hands constantly wanted him to feign people off as insane. Well it didn't always work like that. For one thing, Green couldn't just wave a hand and have a person sent off to the hospital. It was the jury's decision, ultimately, and if he had to subject more and more of them to the "experiment," then surely there would soon be an investigation.

Green was sure Birch sent all these poor useless gang-bangers to him for that reason. They were the lab rats, as the drug was currently in the experimental phase. Green knew he needed to hurry, because it wasn't going to work out much longer. But Green didn't care what happened. In the end, the Birch wasn't going to get a cut of anything. Green just kept him around for the money. Once the drug was ready, Kingdom would face the greatest amount of horror it had ever seen. He and Blue had _BIG_ plans for this city.

Sitting beside him was the man who, earlier in the week, had been charged with murder. When Green interviewed him, he was perfectly fine. In fact, he was a cocky little son-of-a-bitch who just wanted Green to help him get admitted into the hospital, where he could ride it out for a while. Green had other plans.

Now the man sat beside him, clad in a straight jacket and other prison garb. He sat with his knees close up to his chest as he rocked back and forth rapidly, muttering and whimpering to himself. Green cocked his head to the side.

Of course, the case went as planned. Not one of the jury members could deny that this man was insane, and Green knew that. Green left the man to the bailiffs who took him out to the van waiting outside.

This patient was on his way to the asylum.

* * *

Within a matter of minutes, Gold was at the scene of the crime. He cringed at the sight and turned around to face Yellow. She had her hands on her hips. He pinched his nose with his fingers to block off the smell.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

He looked at her for a long time before responding with an exasperated sigh. "Well it's not like I can pretend nothing's happening anymore. The community already knows. I think it's time we call in the FBI."

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary," she said when he looked down at his feet. His designer shoes were soaked in the morbid mixture of blood and toilet water. "This obviously isn't the first time this has happened, but all the attacks were in the woman's defense. She hasn't hurt anyone yet without reason. We don't need to call anyone in." Gold started walking out into the hallway. Yellow followed. "I think we should bide our time. More panic is not what the city needs."

He abruptly turned to her, looking her in the eyes. Yellow could see the wear and tear this job had done to him. She realized how hard it must have been. Lawyers were crooked folk to begin with. Yellow could only imagine what it must be like to direct them.

All in all, he looked tired.

"Listen Yellow," he replied, closing his eyes. She put her hands on her hips again. "This is like, what; the sixth or seventh time a group of fully grown men had been murdered in the same way? I think the public has a right to know."

"Gold, they're gang-bangers. No one misses them, in fact, the better part of the community is happy that they have a few less people to be scared of. The killings are brutal, I get it, but she's not harming anyone who wasn't asking for it."

Gold turned on her with an angry frown plastered on his face, the indignation and annoyance growing in his tone. "And what happens when a drunk frat boy hits on her, huh? Or what about when someone accidently bumps into her in the street and it sets her off? Or what if she's caught doing a petty crime and murders a cop? What then Detective? Are you going to take the blame for letting those people get killed when it's revealed that we didn't exhaust every option we have for finding her and protecting the city?"

Yellow turned her cheek, fed up. Gold rolled his eyes and turned his back to her, preparing to walk outside and face the reporters. Yellow leapt at him, grabbing his hand desperately.

"Please, Gold," she pleaded. "Just give me one more week to find this woman. If I can't by then, then issue a statement, call the FBI, do whatever you need to do."

He looked into her deep chocolate eyes with a tired look in his own. She held his stare for a long while before he decided to respond.

"You have a week," he said, before turning and walking out the door to the public. "If you don't catch her by then, I'm calling in the feds." Yellow couldn't help the elated grin that twisted on her face.

She was going to catch this woman, once and for all.

* * *

Blue hobbled exhaustedly up to her apartment, room number sixty-eight. She lived on the fourth floor. Her hand was pressed to her throbbing forehead as she entered. After closing the door, the overpowering smell of her sweet pea-scented candle sent her spinning. She had to support herself on the counter so she didn't fall over.

It was always the worst after the adrenaline rush. It never failed to send her in a daze. She compared it to being hungover—only times the feeling by ten. The slightest amount of light bothered her; the sound of a pin dropping made her want to gouge her eardrums out; tingling sensations shot through her hands whenever she touched something.

Needless to say, it was never a good feeling.

It was something she just needed to work out with the drug.

She gasped heavily before collapsing on the ground on all fours. Her splitting migraine felt as if it was about to crack her skull open. She winced at the slightest noise of a car going by or a door shutting.

Pretty soon she was vomiting on the white shag carpet in her living room. Even that effort seemed to drain her energy. With one final heave, she felt herself slipping. The ceiling spun slowly after she lost her balance and fell on her back. With one final cough, the world slipped away from her and everything turned black.

* * *

Crystal woke up in the hospital, her brown hair unkempt. Her eyes darted around the plain, white room in a panic. She caught sight of her baby brother, who was sitting in the lounging chair fiddling with his cell phone. He hadn't noticed that she was stirring, as his eyes were glued to the screen, his fingers moving at what seemed like a mile a minute.

The last thing she remembered was learning that they had no money left in their bank account.

She let out a hefty sigh, alerting her brother to her conscious presence. He set the cell phone on the table next to him and went to her, kneeling beside the bed. He grabbed one of her hands as she slowly sat up.

"Crystal what happened?" he asked.

She told him. He was speechless for a minute or two, but then hurriedly reassured her that everything was going to be fine. He'd pick up a job, two if they needed. He'd do anything he had to. She just waved him off.

"Emerald," she started. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's too late. I don't get paid until the end of the month and that's not near enough to even cover the apartment bills. Plus there's Nana to worry about. I just don't know what we're going to do."

She hung her head as she recalled the events of the past few weeks. On top of almost getting shot and finding out they were broke, she hadn't eaten much. She guessed that was probably one of the big factors in her fainting spell. She suddenly felt sick again when she realized there was this doctor bill to pay for now too.

She fought tears. Emerald was oblivious.

"So what are we going to do?" he asked.

She heaved a reluctant sigh. She hated asking for help, but there was no other choice. "I guess I'll call Gold. Maybe we can hole up at his house for a while."

Emerald was silent for a long time. "…We're selling the apartment?"

"What else can we do?" Crystal said, her eyes fixed to a small wrinkle in the white bed sheets. Emerald started to argue, but he knew she was right. They wouldn't even be able to support themselves.

* * *

Pearl woke up with a start, sweating and panting. He'd been having a lot of dreams lately, peculiar ones. They were always in black and white, which he thought strange because all of his other dreams were in color, and they always depicted people he had never seen before. Usually they were of him or Platinum in some sort of danger, but sometimes they went deeper than that. Sometimes, neither of them was in it at all.

He blamed it on the stress of the job.

He ran a hand through his greasy blonde hair as he sighed, sitting up in bed. The covers had fallen slightly from their spot just above his belly-button. Looking down at the empty spot beside him, he realized Platinum wasn't there anymore. Instead he felt a musty humidity fill the room. He lazily threw the covers off and stood up, making his way to the bathroom.

When he walked in, she had her eyes closed. Her whole body was covered by bubbles except for her porcelain face and dark chocolate hair. He knelt down by her. She still had not heard him.

He smiled and leaned forward, gently kissing her shoulder. She jumped a little, her eyes snapping open widely, gasping.

Pearl always thought she was adorable.

She relaxed, closing her hazel eyes once more for a brief second before turning her head to her fair-haired advisor. Her shocked expression was soon replaced with that of a mixture of relief and security. The one person she knew who could distract her from her political worries was Pearl. He wasn't just her advisor. He was more than that. He was her best friend, her lover…

Her bodyguard.

She leaned over to him and pressed her lips softly against his. Afterwards, he stood and stepped into the tub, seating himself behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she nestled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again.

* * *

Crystal had been discharged in no time. She had not sustained any serious injuries from the cold, hard marble flooring of the bank and, even better, did not have anything significantly wrong with her to cause her fainting spell. She left the hospital with Emerald and the two went back to their apartment. They were reminded that their days there were numbered.

Emerald started packing up some of his stuff as Crystal called one of her closest friends, Gold. She prayed that he would let them stay there while they got back on their feet. The other line rang and rang but there was no answer. She hung up with a sigh.

"Gold must be in the courtroom or something," Crystal said as she walked in Emerald's room. "I'll try him again later." She frowned when she saw Emerald's suitcase already opened on the bed. "Why are you packing right now?"

He sighed and turned to her. "Crystal," he said. "I'm leaving."

Crystal's frown became deeper as she held her brother's gaze. "You're what?"

He turned back around and started throwing some of his clothes haphazardly into his green suitcase. "I'm leaving. I've realized that I'm nothing but a burden. You deserve better Crystal. You've been through too much. First you lose your parents, next you lose your grandma, now you have to look after her, the house, and me. It's just not worth it Crys." He turned back around to her. "It's time for me to go. I can fend for myself. I'm eighteen now, after all."

Crystal was a little dumbfounded by the bombshell he just dropped. "Emerald. You're right; I did just lose my parents, my grandma, and my life. That's why I can't lose you. Please just stay. I didn't mean to be so harsh when I told you to get a job, Em. We'll go stay at Gold's for a little while, and when we're financially stable again, it'll be like none of it ever happened." She smiled.

Emerald just shook his head, grabbing his suitcase. "It's not going to be like that Crys. What's going to happen when you don't have the money to pay the nursing home? It's not like we can provide Nana a safe environment from Gold's house. I'm just another mouth to feed. I'm just another thing to waste money on. Crys, don't you see? This is the best answer. I'll go off on my own for a while. I'll live on the streets or something. I'll fend for myself."

"Emerald, it's dangerous on the streets," Crystal replied, almost in tears now.

He just smirked, as if predicting her response beforehand. "I know people, Crystal. I'll be okay. You just have to stop worrying about me and everyone else and start worrying about yourself."

Crystal felt a tear roll down her cheek. Emerald hugged her.

"I promise I'll come back, when you have the money to support all three of us. And I promise I'll be safe."

He grabbed his suitcase and kissed his older sister on the cheek before exiting the room. Crystal followed him out to the door. He hugged her one final time before leaving. It didn't last long. He felt himself beginning to cry and left with an abrupt "goodbye, Crys," before closing the door behind him.

Crystal was left standing there, alone. As the minutes passed, she became more aware of the ever pressing silence filling her ears. The numbness had subsided, being replaced in no time at all by an empty, lonely feeling.

She had no family left.

* * *

"You going to be much longer?" the janitor asked, standing next to the door to the main office.

Yellow turned to him. She didn't realize how late it was. She must've wasted at least four hours pouring over the evidence that the police department had obtained.

"Uhm," she started. "I'll just lock up, you can go."

The janitor tossed her the keys in response which she effortlessly caught in her hand. She dropped them onto her desk. Her blonde locks tied back in a pony-tail cascaded down her shoulder as she leaned back over the computer.

She was alone in the department. All of her colleagues had clocked out some time before.

She often clocked out later than everyone else.

Yellow scoured over every security tape a million times, looking for anything that would point her in the direction of the perpetrator. In every video, a tall brunette woman, who kept her head down and her face hidden, was attacked by a group of men. Each time she walked away seemingly unscathed and all the men would be brutally murdered. This had been going on for a long time now. It was frustrating.

"Who are you?" Yellow said to herself as she stared at the woman on the screen. How could a single woman do so much damage? To four grown men no less? Something just wasn't right.

Yellow watched the ending. She was about to murder the last man, but she didn't. She walked away. _So there were actually four men,_ Yellow thought to herself. _The question is where can I find the survivor?_

He was a shady looking character, with a thick, fat neck and beady eyes. After she walked away, he scrambled off the ground and started running in the other direction. She paused at the frame of him turning his head around to look at the woman. She took a snapshot after zooming in closer to his face.

Now she had a good look at him.

All of a sudden, there was a loud crash in the other room. She called the janitor's name, wondering if maybe he hadn't left yet. When she got no answer, she grabbed the gun and stuffed it in her holster. She silently walked into the other room. It was pitch black, and she didn't dare flick the light switch. She was one-hundred percent positive that the mysterious visitor did not have good intentions.

Then she saw a shadow in the corner. It was a man, she could tell. His shoulders were broad, and he was easily twice her size.

"Hey!" she yelled. She saw the shadow turn, but could not make out any details. After he caught sight of her, he hopped up and started running for the door. She tried to beat him to it, her tired, overworked feet taking her as far as they could. She lunged in front of the person. He was still a few yards away, but he made no attempt at stopping. Instead, he grabbed her and shoved her as hard as he could onto the floor.

She hit her head on the wood flooring, but got back up. By the time she made it into the other room, he was already out the door. She chased him outside, to the sidewalk, where he disappeared. She turned around frantically, looking for any direction this person might have gone. She ran her head across her forehead and felt the blood seeping from the head wound sustained when she was pushed to the floor.

She was just attacked, and the perpetrator got away.

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**

**-PrestigiousP**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kind of a slower, quieter chapter than the others. Hope you guys enjoy nevertheless!**

**I kind of think that the second book I have planned for this series will be the better of the two. The ideas I have for it are top notch and I can't wait to get started with it.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Green drummed the tips of his fingers on the wooden table-top that he and Blue sat at one night just a year ago. The place was silent, save for the quiet ticking of the wall clock just to his left. The only light on was the one above him that hung from the ceiling. He had his head rested on his other hand as he stared off into the distance.

It wasn't like Green to worry about her. She could better handle herself better than he, they both knew that well. Her strength was at least quadruple times what his own was. She was very self-sufficient, not to mention fearless.

So why wasn't she answering her phone?

It also wasn't like Blue to ignore him. She never had before and he hadn't done anything to provoke such a behavior. Blue may have been a criminal, they both were, but she was actually very sweet and easy to get along with, at least in Green's opinion.

He just couldn't help but worry.

He tried thinking about other scenarios. _Well maybe she's caught up at work,_ he thought. _Or maybe she's out running errands and forgot her phone; maybe her battery died and she lost the charger; maybe she dropped her phone in water and it stopped working._

_Maybe the Black Hands got a hold of her._

That thought made him shudder. The chances of it happening were slim. She was a very strong woman, easily could fight off ten, twenty full grown men at a time. But what if they Tased her? What if they snuck up on her from behind? What if they just plain shot her through the head?

Blue was strong, stronger than most; however, she was not invincible.

These thoughts were driving Green insane. He had never felt so much worry for anyone else in his life. His need to protect Blue was crippling. His mind didn't wander; it didn't falter. Every time he tried to think of something else, Blue snapped back into the forefront of his thoughts.

He'd had enough. He had been listlessly staring at the wall for about a half-an-hour. He abruptly broke out of his trance and grabbed his cell and Blue's house key that were sitting in front of him on the table.

He needed to make sure she was okay.

* * *

Crystal didn't sleep that night. She was exhausted, physically and mentally, and the day's events certainly deserved some rest, but every time she closed her eyes, the memories flooded back to her. She missed her life before her parents died. She missed the way her grandma used to ruffle up her hair and call her a squirt. She even missed Emerald's crazy hairstyle when he was young.

The numb feeling had come and gone continuously. For a while she'd cry, then she wouldn't feel anything, then she would cry, then she'd be cold, then she would cry, et cetera. It never seemed to stop. She just wanted it to stop.

After Emerald left, she curled up on the couch and turned on the television. She didn't watch. She just needed noise. The silent, lonely feeling that the apartment now had was taking over. When the TV was off, she felt like screaming. She thought she would go insane.

She sure hoped Gold would take her. She didn't want to be alone.

* * *

While the day was an eventful one for everyone else, Platinum and Pearl lounged around the hotel room in nothing but their underwear. Platinum didn't want to face the crowd; she just needed a day off. She was also steeling her self for what she was about to read in the newspaper.

Platinum decided that Pearl's addiction to porn was becoming unhealthy.

She sat at the desk with the newspaper open in front of her. The front-page headline was _"Prominent Senator Dabbling in a Shady Deal?"_

The wanton moan of the whore on the hotel TV screen interrupted Platinum's thoughts.

"Oh my God Pearl," she said, turning to face him in his comfortable spot in bed. "Can you at least turn that down? We have neighbors you know."

He gave her an innocent smile before grabbing the remote and taking the profane derogatory remarks coming from the dominant man on screen down a few decibels. She turned back around and began to read.

"_Unnamed sources say that republican Senator Platinum Berlitz of Florida agreed to work with the Black Hands, a local organized crime unit, in order to gain popularity in the polls. The details of such include conditions that involve a free pass from the law for the obscure gang leader, Birch, and other important members of the Black Hands. Senator Berlitz has yet to comment."_

Platinum almost started gagging.

"_Only one year ago, Senator Berlitz was elected into office. Her platform promised things such as higher employment rate, lower poverty, and the abolishment of gang violence, among other things. She was a highly popular candidate and had a landslide victory._

"_However, the election is now under investigation when it was revealed that the Black Hands may have rigged the ballots to award Senator Berlitz the senate position. Rumors of such a deal have been circulating around the state of Florida for quite some time now, but were only just confirmed to be true."_

Platinum had to stop. She felt dizzy. It all clicked in her mind. Only one other person knew what the Black Hands had done for her, and that was her advisor and closest friend, Pearl.

"P-Pearl," she stammered.

He didn't respond, gaze fixed on the unmentionable things happening on the screen in front of him.

"Pearl," she said again, clearer this time.

"Hmm?" he asked, turning her way.

She chucked the newspaper at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"How could you do this?"

"Do what?" he asked concernedly, frowning at her.

"You told that bitch of a reporter?" She started violently shaking. "What the hell were you thinking?" Her voice cracked as the tears started to flow. "My career, not to _mention_ yours, is over!"

He grabbed the newspaper and read the headline with a frown. His eyes darted back up to her.

"Platina, I—"

"Stop talking!" she yelled. "How stupid are you?"

"Let me ex—"

"You realize that without me, you're out of a job!"

"PLATINUM, SHUT UP!" he yelled, standing up. She stopped talking and glared at him. "Listen," he started. "I never told anyone anything." He brushed back a stray piece of her hair. "I would never do that to you."

"Then who did you tell?" she questioned.

"I didn't breathe a word to anyone," he replied, raising his hands. "I promise."

"But you're the only person I told," she said. "Unless…"

Pearl finished her thought for her.

"Birch."

* * *

Yellow sat in an ambulance as the first responder stitched up her forehead wound. She was shaken up like crazy, but ready to get back onto the investigation.

She didn't have time to look at what the shadow-person was shuffling through after he ran away. She called 911 immediately and then some of her colleagues came by and did the work for her. She wanted to help, but her first order of business was to get her wound cleaned and dressed.

The man, an attractive brunette with short, cropped hair and piercing amber eyes, put on the finishing bandage and Yellow was ready to go. She brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and walked back into the police station. She was met by her boss.

Lieutenant Oak was a tall, stocky man aged well into his fifties. He had been around since Yellow became a detective, and she guessed he would still be around for quite a while longer. She particularly liked him, because he and she were two of the few do-gooders left in Kingdom City.

He was also the grandfather of a certain doctor that Yellow held disdain for.

He gave her a polite smile as she walked over.

"How's your head?" he asked.

"It'll heal," she replied. "What have you found out?"

"Well the security tapes didn't reveal much of anything. Did you get a good look at him?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It was too dark."

He grunted in response, and then got really quiet.

"Yellow," he started. "When we got here, we found a case file missing from the desk of the police officer on the scene. It had to do with the case you're currently working on."

Yellow waited for a minute. "Okay? I don't see the big deal; all the files are on the mainframe. Even if the actual file is stolen we still have it on record."

"That's true," he replied, "but aside from the fact that those files are confidential, we have reason to believe that some of the names in the file are being targeted."

Yellow's heart skipped a beat. Was her name in the file? It had to have been. She was the one assigned to the case.

"Targeted? Like how?"

"Like people are going to be murdered. We already found the two of cops first on different scenes dead this morning."

Yellow was silent for a long time. "Do you think I'm in danger?"

Oak solemnly nodded. "We're going to put you into protective custody. There'll be a cop in front of your house every day until we figure out what's happening."

Yellow nodded, averting her gaze down to the floor. "What _do _you think is happening?"

"I don't know; covering for whoever committed these crimes is useless. Like you said, the file is in the mainframe and, if more people are killed, we still have endless amounts of detectives available for the case. I can only think of one possibility. Someone doesn't want us working it so they're trying to scare us off."

"But…we're not going to stop are we?"

Oak looked at her. "No."

* * *

Green knocked on the door. No answer. He was becoming accustomed to the returned silence.

He backed up until he was touching the wall adjacent to Blue's door. Bracing himself, he ran his shoulder as hard as he could into the door. The handle broke and the door busted open.

Green rubbed his shoulder in pain as he took in the scene before him. His brown-haired lover was lying there amidst a pool of vomit, her unkempt hair spread out before her. She was on her back with her eyes closed. He ran and knelt by her.

"Blue," he said. "Blue!"

* * *

Over her career, Platinum was worried about her safety. Not just her safety, but Pearl's too. And anyone else she cared about who now knew. That whole string of events basically ruined her life, but it was only getting started.

Platinum lowered her sunglasses from the top of her head to her face as she exited the hotel room. The hall was void of people and the only noise was the faint buzzing of old light fixtures. However, Platinum felt a weird presence, as if something was watching her.

Platinum's first order of business was to get to her office. There she could decide the next plan of action. Pearl decided to stay behind at the hotel room to keep an eye on the news and update her on anything new.

It was going to be a stressful couple of days.

Once she got to the silver elevator door, she hit the call button. She watched as the lights on the screen above the doors counted up to her level. She took a quick glance down the each side of the hallway, left and right. What she saw made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Two men, dressed up nicely in black tuxes and sunglasses, made their way toward her.  
Their slick hair and casual strut only added to the swagger they emitted. To any other person, they were two nicely dressed handsome men, but Platinum knew better.

She nonchalantly turned her head back to the elevator, pretending that they were not there. She waited tensely for the elevator to get to her floor. Once the doors opened, she practically ran in.

Out of the corner of her eye, just before she got into the elevator, she saw the two men speed up. She punched the "Close Door" button repeatedly until they began to shut. She saw the two men in the hallway reach the elevator just before the door shut. She hit the first floor button and let out a heavy sigh.

The elevator made it about ten floors before abruptly stopping in its tracks.

* * *

Crystal stepped out of the shower solemnly. Even after her parents' death she had never felt this lonely. The worst part was that she didn't know when she would see Emerald again, if she ever would.

If only her parents had decided to settle down someplace else in Florida, or even somewhere else in the United States. She would have never met Gold or anyone else she cared about outside her family, but it would have been worth it.

_Right?_ She countered. _Surely it would be. Mom and Dad would still be alive at least. Maybe. Who knows? What if it's worse out there? Kingdom City isn't the only place in the world with corrupt people. But would it have been the same?_

All the thoughts plaguing Crystal's head made her sick to her stomach. After dressing, she went to the couch and sat down with her head in between her legs. She needed to think positively. _Maybe it will get better, _she thought. _Maybe Emerald will be able to survive on the streets. Maybe Gold can take me in. Maybe I'll win the lottery._

She sat back up with a smile, the first in a long time.

With her hair still wet, she stood and went to the phone. She thought she'd try Gold again. After dialing his number, she pressed the receiver to her ear and listened to it ring for a while. After hearing it ring three times with no answer, it felt like a rock just landed in the pit of her stomach, but she perked up after hearing a familiar voice.

"Gold speaking," Gold said in his usual exhausted but determined tone.

"Gold," Crystal replied with a grin. "I'm glad I finally got a hold of you."

"Crystal," he said a little perkier. "It's been a while. How are you doing?"

"Uhm," Crystal stammered. "Getting by. Listen, I really need to talk to you. Are you free tonight?"

"No," Gold responded bluntly. "But I'll make room for you. I'll be home around eight. You can come by any time you like."

Crystal smiled again, gnawing slightly on her bottom lip. "Thank you…Thanks so much…Gold."

"You're welcome," he replied in a light voice. "Listen, Crys, I have to go now. I'll see you tonight."

"Alright, see you then," she said before hanging up the phone.

It was like a huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

When Blue came to, she was lying on her sofa with a cold rag over her forehead. Her hair was wet and clean, and she had different clothes on than she did before she passed out. She gently tried to sit up, but before she could, Green was beside her urging her back down.

"Here," he said, handing her a cup of water. "Drink."

She gave him an innocent look and grabbed the cup from him. She took two generous gulps before setting it on the table behind her. He took the rag off and felt her forehead. It was cooler than before, but she was still feverish.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It was the biggest rush I've had," Blue said, her eyes averting to the ceiling.

"I figured. What happened?" he asked again.

She sighed. "I was walking to the quick tram station and these four guys ambushed me out of no where. Birch sent them. Said we owe him more than the original deal. Said if we didn't pay up then harm would come to us."

Green looked down. "So you…"

There was a long pause.

"I had to," she defended. "They were going to hurt me. They said they were going to hurt you too."

Green got up and threw the rag into the hamper in the bathroom. Blue sat up after he left.

"Why won't you take the drug?" she yelled.

"And have the same thing happen to me that's happening to you? No. Besides I can't afford to now. The new treatment is almost perfected. I can't go through the same blowbacks you do. It'll never be finished," he replied, walking back into the room.

"Yeah but I'm tired of always worrying about whether you're okay or not," she argued. "It would just be easier for me, you know?"

He kissed her gently on her forehead. "It's sweet that you worry but I'm not the criminal here. You're a bitch. You don't sit back and take it like I do. Birch doesn't like that about you, so that's why you're always the primary target."

Blue smirked and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm the criminal? Yeah I'm sure the cops would agree if they found out what you were doing to your own patients, Dr. Oak."

He rolled his eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "Well that's beside the point," he replied. "I just mean that…you're more of a threat to him than I am."

"Aww, you're making me blush!" Blue said mockingly. She stood up and kissed him gently on the lips.

* * *

Platinum was beginning to breathe at a more rapid pace. She clutched the metal bars behind her tightly as a voice came on over the intercom.

"Platinum Berlitz," a dark, husky tone said. "Where do you think you're going?"

The elevator started back up again, but this time it went in the opposite direction. She was heading back upstairs, back to the men in the hallway.

_Dammit,_ she thought. _I should have just taken the stairs!_

She regained her composure, trying desperately to relax her shoulders enough so that she looked presentable. If anything, she was not going to show anyone any fear. Although her heart beat was not following the plan.

She took a deep breath when the elevator stopped at her floor. The doors opened, and the two men were there. They greeted her with fake, but surprisingly warm, smiles. She stepped out and they locked arms with her on either side.

"What is this about?" she asked.

"Just don't struggle," the one on the right replied. "Birch wants to have a few words with you, face-to-face."

Platinum shot him a worried look. She had never seen what Birch actually looked like, ever. Anytime the Black Hands had something to consult with her, Birch either emailed her or sent a few men. Whatever was going on now was serious, and she was sure it had something to do with the front page article.

"B-but where are we going?" she asked, turning her head to look at the elevator disappearing from her view.

"Miss Berlitz," the other man said. "Why didn't you and your boyfriend stay in the penthouse suite this visit?"

"It was already taken," she said, frowning at him.

He turned to her and smiled. "Exactly."

* * *

**Well there it is! Please don't forget to review and the next chapter will be up shortly!**

**-PrestigiousP**


	4. Chapter 4

**'Sup?**

**GUESS WHO'S BACK! I hope you guys are happy to see me/don't want to murder me.**

**Anyhow remember when I said I was going to revisions and it didn't happen? Well revisions are a lot harder than I originally expected so I just didn't, but after I reread what I wrote here I decided I was satisfied enough with it and that it wasn't necessary so that's why we're here now!**

**Anyway enjoy okay because I don't know when the next update will be to be honest but to be honest there will be an update I promise. ;D**

**Goodbye until next time and enjoy!**

* * *

Platinum was led by the men to the door of penthouse suite. Both of them dropped her arms as one grabbed a card key and inserted it into the lock. After the small red light turned green, he opened the door and held it for Platinum and his partner. She walked in slowly, taking in every detail.

The penthouse suite was considerably bigger than the one she and Pearl had booked themselves in. There was a long hallway with two bedrooms to the left. The one closest to the door had one big king-sized bed, which she imagined Birch would sleep in. The one next to it had two twin-sized beds in it, where his body-guards slept. Across the hall was one big bathroom. Through the open door Platinum could see rain-shower and one big Jacuzzi bathtub.

She walked forward, ditching the two shaded men. The hallway opened up to a large living area with a big pull-out sofa and a flat screen TV. One two end tables to either side of the pull-out bed were beautiful silver lamps with bead-adorned shades. Off to the side was a small kitchen with a fridge, stove, and a few countertops. Beside the kitchen was a closed door.

Senator Berlitz stood there and looked out the windows to the balcony and out beyond the sea. Kingdom was water-locked on all sides, an island. The waves crashed along the beach as the setting-sun glimmered across the deep blue water.

One of the men walked over to the closed door and rapped lightly. Almost immediately, a perky feminine voice called out, "Come in!" The man grabbed the handle and turned it. He stepped in and held the door. Platinum followed.

The room was a study, of sorts, with a desk and a big leather desk chair turned to face the window. There were two chairs off into either corner of the front of the room. The man grabbed one and put it in front of the desk, on the other side of the leather one. He led her to the seat and announced, "We've retrieved her."

"Excellent," the female voice replied. "You can go."

The man nodded, but the woman wasn't even facing him. Platinum had a frown plastered on her face. Who was this woman?

After the door closed, the woman turned the chair around, a sly smirk on her face. She had shoulder-length brown hair and a sharp, sleek face. She had her hands folded in her lap and stared at Platinum for a long time.

"Hello, Miss Berlitz," she greeted. She sat up, arching her back, and stuck out her hand for Platinum to shake. "My name is Birch, Sapphire Birch."

* * *

Green stepped into the white, windowless interview room and sat across from the criminal on trial. He slouched in his chair and offered the man a smile. The man held a blank, careless expression. He was trying to act cool and calm, like he was too good for all of it.

"Hello," Green said clearly.

"Sup?" the man responded, nodding his head cockily. His hands were cuffed to the table, so Green got a good look at all the tattoos on his hands and forearms. He was nothing but a grunt in the Black Hands, nobody of worth. Green was going to have fun with him.

Green gave another smile before speaking again. "So," he said, opening up the file in front of him, "it says that you're being charged with bludgeoning a cop to death."

"Listen," the man said, sitting up. "We both know why I'm here so can you just clear me as insane and I'll be on my way to that crazy house of yours."

Green stood up, all the politeness in his face fading. He took a look around the room, sighed, and then walked around to the perpetrator. He sat on the metal table next to the man, who shot his brown-eyed gaze Green's direction. Green grabbed his hand gently.

"It doesn't work like that," Green said bluntly before letting go. "You see, I can say I think you're insane, but if the jury doesn't believe it, then you're going to jail."

"What?" he said defensively, raising his voice. "Birch recommended you! When I get out, I'm telling him that you couldn't help me. He's going to have you murdered."

Green laughed, his cheek dimples prominently showing themselves to the man beside him. "Look. We both know you're nothing more than a grunt, a lackey. Look at the way you're dressed. The distinguished members of the Black Hands wear suits and ties like real gangsters. You're nothing to them."

The man just glared at him incredulously.

"But relax," Green reassured, "I'll help you. But you're not going to like it very much."

Green reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid. He grabbed the man's arm and aimed the shot into one of his veins. The man began to protest.

"W-what are you crazy?" he asked. "Help! Help!"

"No," Green replied. "But you will be in a minute."

"Help! Someone, anyone!" the man screamed as Green finished.

"You think anyone can hear you?" Green asked sarcastically. "Aha. That's good. You see, you're pleading insanity, and they always put the insane ones in sound proof rooms until they're cleared, that way the screams don't disturb the whole station. Just count backwards from five. It'll all be over soon."

Green laughed as the man tried yelling louder. Soon his words were becoming slurred and he fought to keep his eyes open. He became jittery with a glazed expression and shot his eyes around the room. He jumped in his chair when he finally looked back at Green. Soon he began mumbling and trying to fight the handcuffs.

"L-l-let me go," he said, hushed. His head cocked to the side and he started shaking. "D-don't you see them?!" he asked Green. "They're everywhere…everywhere. Oh my god YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM! THEY'RE GOING TO STING ME!"

"Bees?" Green asked. The man fervently nodded. Green gave him a reassuring smile and stated, "Don't worry, they'll go away."

He opened the door and left the room.

* * *

Detective Yellow was bringing her work home with her tonight. She had boxes piled in her car related to these mysterious, gruesome cases that someone wanted to cover up. She pulled up into her driveway, stepping out slowly, carrying a box at a time. After about ten minutes, she brought each one into her house.

"Oh," she said, remembering that there was supposed to be a police car outside her house. She walked over to the blinds in her living room and peered through them. The sight she saw didn't reassure her, in fact, what she saw made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

The police car was there, but it looked like it had just been in a rollover. The top was dented inside, police lights smashed, doors ripped off completely, the hood was gone, and the trunk had been pushed all the way in so now it looked more like a bus than a car.

Yellow gripped her holster and slowly opened the front door. She drew her gun and stepped out from the steps to the lawn. She walked over more quickly when she saw people inside. Officers.

In both cases, it looked like their skulls had been smashed in. They were obviously dead. Yellow could tell but she checked just to make sure. Both of their guns were lying on the floor, and Yellow could see Taser burns on their bodies.

She turned around, trying to keep from panicking. What on earth could have done something like this? She sank to the boulevard, leaning her head against the car and pulling her knees close to her body, and took out her cell. She dialed 911 and pressed the phone up to her ear.

"911 what's your emergency?" the receptionist asked.

"This is Detective Yellow de Tokiwa Grove. I'm at my house on Lilycove Avenue. My boss sent a police car to monitor my house because of the caliber of a case I'm working on. Well I just came home from work and I found both of the cops in the car dead."

"Alright Miss Grove, don't hang up, help is one the way."

* * *

Platinum didn't shake the woman's hand. She was tired of all the bull shit these people were putting her through.

"No," Platinum said, standing. Sapphire's smile faded. "I want to see the real Birch."

Sapphire frowned. "Miss Berlitz, I am the real Birch."

"No you're not," Platinum countered. "Everyone said the real Birch is a man. You're obviously not a man. So what are you? His wife? His sister?"

Sapphire smiled and looked down. "For someone so smart, a lot sure does get by you. Platinum, I'm Birch. I lead the Black Hands. I'm the one who rigged your election. I am the man behind the gang."

Platinum gave a sarcastic nod and smile. "Right, right, of course. One can only handle so much surprise in one day."

Sapphire smiled and said, "Platinum, what do you know about my gang?"

Platinum rolled her eyes up, as if looking into her brain and reading what's inside. "Well, I know the name came from a Serbian terrorist group in World War I, the group responsible for organizing the assassination of the Archduke. I know your legacy consists of two leaders, your father, and apparently you. You've been around for well over three decades, but your reign of terror only just began to grow in the previous few years."

"Thanks to you," Sapphire retorted. She reached under her desk and grabbed something, tucking it beside her as she stood and walked around to Platinum's side. She sat on the desk, hand firmly grasped around the item. A gun. She pointed it right at Platinum's temple.

"That's impressive, Miss Berlitz. You truly do have an astounding memory. What else do you know?"

There was a long pause as Platinum's heart began to race.

"Platinum," Sapphire said coldly. "What did the newspaper say this morning?"

"I-it said that you rigged the—"

"No. Tell me _exactly_ what the newspaper said, Platinum. We both know you can."

Platinum sighed before speaking again. "Unnamed sources say that republican Senator Platinum Berlitz of Florida agreed to work with the Black Hands, a local organized crime unit, in order to gain popularity in the polls. The details of such include conditions that involve a free pass from the law for the obscure gang leader, Birch, and—"

"That's enough," Sapphire said, cocking the gun. "It's such a shame. Your gift is so special, but you had to go and waste it by talking to that reporter. She's also being killed, as we speak."

"Wait what?" Platinum asked. "I thought you talked to the reporter. I never said anything to her."

Sapphire hit her hard with the butt of the gun. Platinum fell to the floor, her cheek bleeding.

"Don't lie to me," she said, gun aimed at the senator.

Platinum held her bloody cheek, her eyes squinted. "I'm not lying. The reporter, she came to me after the press conference and asked for an interview. I said no and went back to my office. Swear on my life."

Suddenly, one of Sapphire's henchmen broke through the door. She snapped her head up to meet his gaze, a frown on her face.

"What is it?" she asked sternly.

"The reporter, Bianca," he said. "She escaped."

* * *

"If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself," Blue said as she grabbed the man's head, ignoring his cries, and twisted it off. She chucked it across the alley as his body fell limply to the ground.

He deserved it. He had one simple mission: get the files so she could figure out what to do next and seriously maim the detective. Instead, he alerted the whole division and attracted even more unwanted attention to her. He was incompetent. It was clear that she had to do it herself.

She went to the house earlier, but unfortunately, the detective was not home. She got to have some fun with the cops on guard though, so the trip wasn't all that pointless. Plus, the sight definitely must have rattled the nerves of the detective, and after Blue was done with her, the bitch would be so scared Green would have to put her in the asylum.

* * *

Crystal ran a brush through her hair before putting it into two curly low pigtails and putting a gold lace hat on. She didn't have to worry about dressing formal around Gold. They had been friends long enough so it didn't really matter. He was probably going to be wearing pajamas.

She left her apartment and walked into the parking garage. It was already getting dark and the garage was void of people. Crystal, however, was oblivious to everything around her as she dug around for her car keys inside her purse. All of a sudden, she heard a scream.

She snapped her head up and looked around. She did a full three-sixty once she heard rapid footsteps coming her way. Before she could even scream, a man with a menacing look and a blade in one hand shoved her over so hard that she flew practically ten feet over. She lost her bag and all its contents were now rolling across the ground. She put a hand to her head as she pushed herself up off the ground. She opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the man running down the incline and turning the corner into the next level.

Crystal looked around and heard a faint moaning sound. She ran to where it was coming from. There were two rows of parking spaces, all filled with cars, and the victim was somewhere in between two. She walked briskly, checking each side before she caught sight of a woman.

She quickly walked over to the woman, a woman she recognized as one of her neighbors. She was around thirty-five, with chocolate brown hair and striking blue eyes. She was a reasonably fashionable woman and Crystal always thought of her as a very polite, social woman. She was now leaning against the wall of the garage, her hands covered over a wound in her stomach. She gave Crystal a scared look but couldn't say anything because of the blood pooling in her throat.

Crystal was feeling faint again. She wanted to vomit on the sight, but she knew she had to stay strong. She ran back to where she dropped her purse and frantically searched the ground for her phone. She got on her hands and knees, looking everywhere. Finally, she saw it under a car and well out of her reach.

"God dammit!" she swore loudly. Getting back up on her feet, she briskly ran back to the victim, yelling for help.

When she got there, she found the woman limp, her eyes glazed over, all signs of life gone.

* * *

Bianca walked as fast as she could through the alley way. She had just narrowly escaped the apartment through the dumbwaiter as Birch's men broke into the building. It was good thing she had a pair of eyes watching all over the building.

She pulled out her cell and dialed a number, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"You safe?" came the answer.

"White," Bianca said with a smile. "Yes, I am. Thanks for the warning. I'd hate to see how this would've played out if it weren't for you." She rounded the corner out into the sidewalk, people bustling around her. "We make a good team."

"Aight," the woman on the other end replied. "If you're all good, I'm gonna go. Bye."

She hung up the phone. Bianca did too with a sigh.

_That girl's not much for words is she,_ she thought.

* * *

Gold leaned back on his sofa, his arm rested along the back. He flipped on the television with the remote and glanced at the clock on the cable box, eight-thirty. He leaned back and put his feet on the coffee table, grabbing his cell.

He was all ready for bed, wearing nothing but a tight plain white t-shirt and some basketball shorts. The only thing preventing him from ending his night early was his meeting with his friend Crystal.

Crystal and Gold had known each other since childhood. They were family friends, and after Crystal's parents died, Gold's parents offered to adopt them. By that time, Gold was already twenty-one and well into college.

Because of the age difference, they weren't close as kids, but after Gold graduated high school they began to talk more and more. And then once Crystal's parents died, she really had no one else to talk to besides her brother and her mentally-ill grandmother. Gold liked being there for her. He liked protecting her.

He dialed her number. No answer.

With a sigh he placed his cell on the end table and went back to watching TV.

* * *

Crystal was currently trying to hold back the tears as cop after cop asked her the same questions over again. She gave her statement to about three different people and she just really wanted to go. She was emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. She wanted to see Gold.

Her emotions were a mess; she felt scared, tired, nervous, helpless, useless, et cetera. Most of all she was sad and guilty. She let the woman die. She couldn't do anything and it bothered her. If only she had come to the garage a few minutes earlier, maybe she could've seen the man before the attack. If only she had been able to find the cell phone, maybe help would have arrived before the woman died. If only she had stayed by her neighbor's side, maybe then at least the woman wouldn't have died scared and alone.

Another cop came up to her and said something but she wasn't listening. She only asked if she could leave. He said yes, so she walked slowly to her car before she remembered that she lost her keys when she dropped her bag. She walked over to where her things were and rummaged around, gathering them all back up again. Then she went over to her phone and was slowly able to ease it back into her hand. She unlocked it; one missed call.

* * *

Sapphire lowered the gun and Platinum took the opportunity to cower and back away.

"What do you mean the reporter escaped?" Sapphire asked.

"Like, she knew we were coming and was gone before we even go to the apartment," the man replied.

Sapphire turned her attention back to the senator.

"What did you tell her?" Sapphire asked.

"I didn't tell her anything! Trust me! I hate reporters anyway, let alone her! She just outted me to all of Florida! There's no way I'm going to make reelection now!"

"Sure as hell you're not going to make reelection after _I'm_ done with you!" Sapphire replied with a smirk.

"_Wait!_" Platinum yelled. Birch fell silent. "I can help you take her out. I can make a press conference, she'll be there I guarantee it. You can handle her then."

She again lowered the gun. "Now that's what I like to hear," she said with a smile.

* * *

Crystal was driving in her car, on her way to Gold's. She had already called him back and he was still ready to meet her. She was still trying to hold back the tears. Even though she and Gold were good friends, she still had to be somewhat presentable.

She fiddled with the radio for a while, but every song just made her want to cry so she finally turned it off. The only thing she found comfort in now was the city lights. Maybe that was part of the reason she stayed.

She pulled up to Gold's house in the Sinnoh district. He lived alone but his house could probably fit all his relatives on both sides. She knew there would be enough room for her, but she really hated imposing.

She rapped on the door lightly, her eyes fixed on her feet. Once the door opened, she tilted her head up to look at Gold's smiling face and lost it. She couldn't hold anything back anymore. Her tears started flowing and she threw herself into his arms. His smile faded instantly and was replaced with a look of bewilderment.

She broke away and closed her eyes, obviously embarrassed.

"Can I come in?"

* * *

**Tbh all this emotion makes me uncomfortable and it's hard to write but I do it for you guys!**

**AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IMMENSELY IF YOU TELL ME I'M DOING IT WELL/NOT WELL.**

**Until next time!**

**-PrestigiousP**


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